In an effort to revamp campus commuting, Binghamton University’s Off Campus College Transport (OCCT) unveiled service additions and improvements.
Students can see plenty of changes in the fall 2015 schedule, including revisions to old routes and the additions of new ones. Out of all the schedule modifications, one of the biggest is the transformation of the Downtown Center Riverside (DCR) bus route to the Downtown Center Leroy (DCL) bus route. The DCL now services Leroy Street instead of Riverside Drive.
According to OCCT Public Relations Coordinator Tim Redband, in the past, construction on Riverside Drive caused the DCR to make frequent detours down Leroy Street. Additionally, the DCL route runs closer to where a majority of riders live, as more students reside closer to Main Street than Riverside Drive.
“This change will also help with safety at night as we will drop students off closer to their homes and cut down the walking distance from the bus stop,” Redband wrote in an email.
The Leroy South Side (LRS) line will remain the same. Redband said that when the DCR ran on Leroy last year, the new scanners on the buses showed that more students utilized it.
Another change OCCT is implementing is the creation of a new express bus that travels directly between the University Downtown Center (UDC) and the University Union. The UDC shuttle was developed for numerous reasons, including feedback from passengers and to alleviate crowded buses heading inbound to BU.
“In the mornings a lot of people get on at the Downtown Center, and that doesn’t leave as much room on the bus for students who live on Leroy Street,” explained Dan Burkett, service manager for OCCT. “We’re trying to prevent overcrowding on our buses.”
Having experienced firsthand how crowded the DCR could get last year, Anna Corrigan, a senior majoring in economics, said she is happy about the changes.
“I’ve seen on several occasions people were not even able to get on the bus in the morning because they were too full,” Corrigan said. “The addition of the UDC shuttle is really beneficial for all the students on the West Side.”
Along with these route changes, students may have noticed that the renowned blue buses are no longer all blue. Four new green buses have been added to the mix, and will run strictly on-campus routes. Burkett said the goal of the color change was to differentiate between on-campus buses and buses that travel off-campus.
“The University wanted there to be less confusion about buses that are running on campus versus buses that are running off campus,” Burkett said. “We developed a green bus system so students have a way to identify which buses service on-campus locations.”
The number of green buses in service on campus will depend on the time of day. Three will be running during peak daytime hours, dwindling down to two during less busy times. Only one green bus will continue running until 11:45 p.m.
Burkett added that the new changes should help OCCT better prepare for future campus growth.
“As our student population continues to grow under the 2020 plan, there are more people on campus who need to get around,” Burkett said. “We figured this is a much more effective way of transporting students.”